Physical Education – Vicki Reynolds

Physical Education Vision Statement

The West Hartford K-12 Physical Education Program is based on helping students develop healthy, active lifestyles by experiencing a balance of activities in a positive, responsible and cooperative environment.

These activities include the movement areas of body management and educational gymnastics, dance, fitness, adventure/cooperative education and sports/games. It is through these experiences that we address the diverse needs of our students in the physical, social emotional, and cognitive domains. Our curriculum provides sequential, spiraling, enjoyable and successful experiences appropriate for each child’s developmental stage and ability level. Furthermore, our intent is to create opportunities for our students that inspire confidence, honesty, creativity, teamwork and a persistent drive to excel.

Content Overview

In the elementary schools, students explore movement through a series of guided experiences, which allow for divergent responses to meet individual developmental levels. The major movement concepts explored include body (what the body does), space (where the body moves), effort (how the body moves), and relationships (how the body moves in relation to others and to the environment). An integral part of this approach involves guiding students toward mastery of the key elements of immature and mature forms of the basic locomotor skills(walking, running, jumping, hopping, galloping, skipping, sliding and leaping), non-locomotor skills, including educational gymnastics (curling, stretching, twisting, balancing, climbing, vaulting, hanging, swinging and supporting), and manipulative skills (throwing, catching, striking, kicking, dribbling, and volleying). As a result of this strong movement foundation, students are able to refine and apply their broad base of movement skills successfully to specialized skills in dance, gymnastics, adventure education and sports (team, individual, and dual) in the upper grades.Reminders

What should my child wear to physical education class?Sneakers and loose clothing that allow your child to move freely, comfortably and safely are appropriate for physical education classes. Some additional hints that willhelp your children enjoy their time in physical education classes include:

Empty pockets before coming to class,

Tie back long hair,

Refrain from wearing jewelry, and

Remember that skirts, dresses and tight clothing can restrict movement